This application relates to a fluid suspension of sugar and oil that is useful in making nut spreads, especially peanut butters, having relatively high levels of sugar. This application particularly relates to a process for making flavored nut spreads having relatively high levels of sugar using this fluid suspension of sugar and oil.
Sweetness is one of the key attributed of a flavored nut spread such as a flavored peanut spread. The desired sweetness in a flavored peanut spread is obtained by adding sugar at levels of about 15% or greater. The process for adding and uniformly distributing sugar at that level in peanut paste is difficult to achieve because of the high viscosity of the paste and the need to use finely milled sugar. The high particle surface area between the sugar particles and the peanut paste increases the energy required to wet and deagglomerate the mixture. As a result, a long mixing time can be required to reduce the viscosity of the flavored spread to an easily spreadable consistency.
The mixing time for flavored spreads can be reduced by using a more intensive mixing process such as high shear mixing. However, the equipment required for such high shear mixing (e.g., colloid mill) can be expensive. Also, intensive mixing such as high shear mixing can degrade the flavor quality of the flavored nut spread.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to be able to formulate a flavored peanut spread that: (1) is easily spreadable; (2) has a high level of sugar; (3) does not require high shear mixing equipment to make; and (4) has the flexibility to provide different flavored products.
The present invention relates to a process for preparing nut spreads having a sugar level of from about 15 to about 50% and especially flavored nut spreads having such relatively high levels of sugar. This process comprises the step of forming a substantially homogeneous blend from:
a. a fluid suspension which consists essentially of:
(1) an intimate mixture of sugar and an edible liquid oil wherein the ratio of sugar to oil is about 0.7:1 or greater;
(2) an effective amount of an edible surfactant capable of imparting increased fluidity to the intimate mixture of oil and sugar; and
b. a nut solids-containing mixture, which comprises:
(1) from about 20 to about 55% nut solids;
(2) from about 30 to about 60% fat;
(3) optionally sugar;
c. wherein the ratio of the fluid suspension to the nut solids-containing mixture is such that the resulting nut spread has a sugar level of from about 15 to about 50%.
The present invention further relates to flavored nut spreads that can be made by this process. These flavored nut spreads have a spreadability value of from about 500 to about 1400 gram force and comprise:
a. a flavor enhancing amount of a flavorant;
b. from about 20 to about 55% nut solids;
c. from about 30 to about 60% total fat;
d. from about 15 to about 50% sugar.
A key aspect of the present invention is the preparation of a fluid sugar and oil suspension that has a high sugar solids to oil ratio, i.e., about 0.7:1 or higher. Another key aspect of the present invention is the inclusion of an edible surfactant, preferably lecithin or a polyglycerol ester emulsifier. At higher sugar solids levels in the fluid suspension, it was discovered that the inclusion of lecithin or a polyglycerol ester emulsifier significantly improves the fluidity of the suspension of sugar and oil. For example, a fluid suspension of sugar and peanut oil in a ratio of 70:30 has a dough-like consistency. However, the inclusion of 1% lecithin transformed this mixture into a flowable suspension.
Having the sugar in the form of a fluid suspension with the oil allows the sugar to be easily mixed with the nut solids-containing mixture, even though the level of sugar is relatively high. Indeed, the combining of the fluid suspension of sugar and oil with the nut solids-containing mixture can be made continuous such as by co-blending the two streams in a static or in-line mixer or series of such mixers. This simplification of the mixing process significantly reduces the capital cost for making flavored peanut butter/spreads. Surprisingly, when the flavorants are added directly to the fluid suspension before it is blended with the nut solids-containing mixture, the resultant flavored spread has a much lower viscosity that is achieved after less mixing time than when the flavorant is added directly to the spread.
The flavored peanut spreads made with this fluid suspension of sugar and liquid oil are also more fluid and softer than identically formulated products made without the fluid suspension. It is believed that this higher fluidity is due to the order of addition of the edible surfactant (e.g., lechithin) in making the flavored spread. Including the lecithin in the fluid suspension enables the lecithin to be efficiently adsorbed at the interface between the sugar and oil. This lowers the interfacial surface tension between the sugar and oil that results in an increase in fluidity. Conversely, adding lecithin to the nut solids-containing mixture has been found to be less effective in increasing fluidity because the lecithin is preferentially adsorbed by the peanut protein.